At the 2nd meeting of Mitch Benn’s Distraction Club. A great line-up including Rich Hall, but Distraction Kirsty Newton stole the show with a brilliantly original set. Here’s to the next time… 7th June. Put it in your diary.

Off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz… when he landed in St. Albans in his TARDIS. Honestly! Bobby Darvo and Sarah Jane Honeywell brought great fun and sauciness to the classic story. Great fun.

Matt Smith returns in ‘Doctor Who’. Wonderful, of course. It’s a new Golden Age… if you must call it that! 😉 for the superb ‘Psychoville’ also returns on 5th May. The best of times… The day was soured with the announcement of the death of comedy writer John Sullivan. With ‘Citizen Smith’, ‘Just Good Friends’, ‘Dear John’ and, particularly, ‘Only Fools and Horses’ John wrote some of the finest of British situation comedy.

Fun and childish games at the National Film Theatre for an evening in their ‘Dramarama and Beyond: Children’s TV Drama of the 80s’ season. An episode of ‘Maggie’, ‘Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest’ and the ‘Dramarama’ episode ‘Big T for Trouble’ starring Nicola Ramsey reflected the small screen’s attitude to Family Affairs.

Stunned to hear the news of the death of Elisabeth Sladen at the age of 65. Not only was Lis Robert’s first and favourite ‘Doctor Who Girl’ but also his first crush. Lis was a wonderful friend over the years and will remain a vibrant part of British television culture thanks to her appearances in ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’. From her first appearance in 1973’s ‘The Time Warrior’ to the, as yet unbroadcast, episodes from 2011, Lis’s performance as Sarah-Jane captured the imagination of generations. Our thoughts are with Lis’s beloved husband Brian Miller and their only child, Sadie.

A delightful lunch with Vera Day is made even more memorable by the unexpected appearance of Tom Adams. Those hands are every bit as scary as they were in ‘The House That Dripped Blood’. Very sad news to hear of the death of Trevor Bannister at his finest in comedy: ‘The Dustbinmen’, ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ and, of course, ‘Are You Being Served?’

To the National theatre to enjoy Rory Kinnear as ‘Hamlet’. David Calder as Polonius and the Grave-digger and Ellie Turner as Ophelia give excellent support.

Frantic writing with deadlines looming is interrupted by the news of another show business death and this time one very close to Robert’s heart. Actress Angela Scoular died at the age of 65 after a long illness. Thoughts are with her husband, Leslie Phillips, and her family.

Farewell to Dame Elizabeth Taylor.

Michael Gough, the most unsung of British horror legends, dies at the age of 95. His credits include ‘The Curse of the Crimson Altar’, Hammer’s ‘Dracula’, ‘The Skull’, ‘Satan’s Slave’, ‘Black Zoo’ and ‘Konga’. Not to forget the comedy chiller ‘What A Carve Up!’ and the Celestial Toymaker in ‘Doctor Who’.